Method of treating oil shales and other bituminous materials



Sept. 11, 1928. 1,684,007

W. W. BLAISDELL METHOD OF TREATING OIL SHALES AND OTHER BITUMINOUS MATERIALS Fil y 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

' 3 BY I Q ATTORNEY.

Sept. 11, 192 T 1,684,007 7 w. W. BLAISDELL METHOD OF TREATING OIL SHALES AND OTHER BITUMINOUS MATERIALS Fil y 5,1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E wwgfj INVENTOR.

0 ATTORNEY.

Patented se e; 11, 1928.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM W. DIlAISDELL, OF ,YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF TREATING OIL SHALES AND OTHER BITUMINOUS MATERIALS.

Application fileana a,

This invention relates to the treatment of oil bearing shales and other bituminous materials, and particularly to the method for extracting the hydrocarbon content in an eflicient and economical manner.

The treatment of various shales by various methods and with various apparatus has been heretofore practiced with some success, but on account of'the character of most shales an actual commercial production has not gen erally been profitable. ()ne'of the difliculties in the treatment of these shales in quantity has been that of applying suit-able temperatures to the shale i5 without having localcondensations, coking and the like, due to its slow absorption of heat. All such effects are restrictive of the output and add to the difficulty of handling the shale in quantities sufficient to make commercial production profitable.

Under my method and particularlywith apparatus such as I shall herein discuss and show as illustrative of the principles involved, shales of ordinary grade may be handled in quantity economically and efliciently. My invention may best be understood by reference to operations and construc'tions illustrative of practical conditions; and for this purpose I have shown in the accompanying drawings an illustrative plant operating in accordance with my invention. In these drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates, partly in section apparatus for carrying out my method for the treatment of such shale. v

F'g. 2 is a detafl in section of the super-' heater of'the same, and

Fig. 3 is a partial view in perspective of such equipment.

Before discussing the actual apparatus as shown, it is desirable to consider first my general method and the reasons therefor and the results obtained thereby. In the, first place, my invention contemplates a methodical and uniform pre-heating of the shale for the purpose of bringing it uniformly to a temperature just below the volaitilizing point of its hyrocarbon content. I usethis term merely to differentiate beac tween the oil production sought and the aqueous elements and gases which pass 0 at comparatively low temperatures- Roughly speaking, I effectv a preliminary uniform heating at a temperature of approximately 66 50091 that is to say some 100 F., below.

1923. Serial 1%. 636,410.

the required heat to produce the final volatilization. This pre-heating in accordance with my invention is very efficiently and satisfactorily accomplished by introducing the heat of the exhaust gases directly into the p e-heater onto the shale itself, which is kep in suspension as far as practicable in the preheater, as distinguished from heating the walls of the pre-heater and radiating the heat of the exhaust gases onto the shale, as has heretoforevbeen the practice. This method results in the heat uniformly and thoroughly permeating the shale. Preferably L utilize theheat of the exhaust gases from the final heating step of my method and introduce this heat of .the exhaust gases in the form of hot air or gases as a counter-current directly into the'flow or feed of comminuted I shale so that the shale will be progressively and slowly permeated by the heat of the exhaust ases up to a point just below the formation of bituminous vapors, whereby when the shale reaches the ultimate or superheater it will be uniformly and thoroughly permeated by the heat of the exhaust gases but without having developed any volatilize,- tion. Thefinal heating in the super-heater is a mere rapid raising of the uniformly and thoroughly permeated preheated shale to a temperature sufiicient to drive off the more resistant hydrocarbon elements.which are led away for condensation into a product which represents practically the total combined hydrocarbon content of the shale.

Coming now to the specific installation illustrated herein it will be seen that I have providedan apparatus consistin of a preheater, 9. super-heater and a con enser.

Pre-heater.

The shale or other bituminous material is discharged from a hopper A through a" revolving trap B onto the header of a revolving pipe C, which is mounted in a rotary shell D to revolve therewith. The shale is gradually carried through the pipe C until it drops into shell D where its assage is reversed and the shale is carried ack onto the header of shell D. Both' the pipe C 1 if and shell D are provided with blades E to pick up the material and keep it in suspension, during its passage through the pipe and shell. The shell D is revo 'ved from a motor X by means of drive gears W and W 110..

way'of header it and revolving sealed trap idlersV and V being provided to support the shell while revolving.

The heat of the exhaust gases from the super-heater is assed through a pipe N beneath the hea er of the pre-heater, the heated gases coming from the superheater being cooled by atmospheric air drawn in by the fan T]. This fan also acts to circulate the heat of the exhaust gases through the pipe 0 and shell D whereby the shale is slowly and uniformly permeated with heat 11%) to a point just below the formation of t e hydrocarbon vapors.

If desired, additional burners may be provided to supplement the heat of the exhaust gases from the super-heater. If such supplemental burners are employed, they Wlll e mounted to deliver the heat directly onto the shale. After the preliminary heat of the exhaust gases is circulated through the pre-heater, it is carried out and away through the stack T.

Super-heater. v The pro-heated shale is now passed by 6- onto a revolving pktete I which is slowly rotated-over the burn rs P of the suprheater by a shaft Q3 driven from a drive shaft R. The wall of the super-heater chamber is vented as at 0, 'Fig. 1.

- super-heater.

At this point the hydrocarbon vapors are formed and carried off during one complete revolution of late T. The spent shale is then scraped f i'om plate I by a stationary scraper K anddro ped through a revolving sealed trap L whic prevents the admission of air into the super-heater. From trap L the spent shale drops onto'a screw conveyor which carries it out and away from the The plate I is provided. ,.with a dome H constituting therewith the chamber of the super-heater in which the hydrocarbon vapors are formed and these vapors are passed from said chamber 'to a condenser Y by way of pipe J leading from the dome H, A, fan U may be mounted within the.

. vapors into the pipe J.

neeaoo?" Super-heated steam is introduced into said chamber by a steam pipe S. This p pe is provided with downwardly del ver ng branch pipes S and an upwardly dellvering branch pipe S extending into header F and adapted to build up a head of steam justbelow therevolving sealed trap G so as to prevent the hydrocarbon vapors from the chamber of the super-heater entering said trap. This head of steam also creates a slight back pressure which will assist to remove the hydrocarbon vapors from the super-heater through the pipe J and assists to. keepv the revolving plate clean.

Condenser.

The condenser Y is not shown in detail, but is provided with any suitable means for cooling the hot hydrocarbon vapors which may then be drawn off through outlet Z of this condenser.

Various modifications in the method of and apparatus for practicing my invention may obviously be resorted to within the' sequently superheating' the gnaterial tothe point at whichsaid hydrocarbon vapors are formed, the preheating and superheating steps being carried out in separate chambers, and the heat of theexhaust gases from the superheating chamber being used to heat the material in the preheating chamber, in passing the material from the preheating to the superheating chamber, in preventing the escape ofvapor during such passage, in reducing the temperature of the heat of the exhaust gases preliminary to its delivery to the preheated chamberby introducingatmospheric air in the gases, in mechanically agltatlng the material in the pre'heater chamber during treatment, in removing the spent material from the superheater cham-' ber,-- and in condensing the hydrocarbon va ors.

n testimony wherof ll afix my signature.

WILLIAM W. BLAISDELL. 

